The First Snowflake That Falls
by HaloGatomon
Summary: Legolas must face his greatest fear and say his final goodbye to one of his best friends. Dedicated to Lina, Nili and several other friends.


Title ~ The First Snowflake That Falls  
  
Author ~ Halo Son  
  
Rating ~ PG  
  
Disclaimer ~ I don't own LOTR (darn), but I do own the LOTR-FOTR Extended Version 4 disc DVD set! (*huggles it*) and I also own the song featured in this song fic, cause I made it up ^-^   
  
Summary ~ Legolas must face his greatest fear and say his final goodbye to one of his best friends. Rated PG for character death.  
  
Author's Note ~ This little song ficlette is my (belated) Christmas pressie to everyone, especially my wonderful reviewers, but there are a few of people I want to specially dedicated this story to and they are:  
  
Prince Tyler Briefs  
Nili  
Lina Skye  
Zam Kenobi  
The Insane One  
Bill the Pony  
MaraJade  
  
Guys, this one's for you! ^-^  
  
  
  
  
  
The Lord Of The Rings  
  
  
The First Snowflake That Falls  
  
  
  
  
*  
Sparkling flames of golden light  
Fade from the ever-distant sky  
A sky now belonging to the night  
But for me the sky seems   
Not so distant anymore  
Can you hear, can you hear  
The wind calling my name  
Let me go now, set me free  
*  
  
  
Even within the great walls of Minas Tirith the air seemed bitterly cold. Many could mistake the time for winter; the winds howled the cold chilled anyone it touched.  
  
It was the year 1541 of the Fourth Age, March 1st.   
  
Long yet pale, slender fingers curled around even paler hands, for in the House of Kings all was silent save for the wispy breathing of the only remaining occupant within the room.  
  
Golden hair seemed to float upon the late afternoon breeze and even in this mournful atmosphere the radiance of the elf, though to him it seemed lost, brought a comfort to all those who saw him that no words could explain.  
  
Legolas Greenleaf sat unmoving from his place beside the still form of King Elessar, but to him always known as Estel, foster son of Lord Elrond who had long passed over the sea to the Grey Havens; Strider, Ranger of the North; Aragorn, son of Arathorn and heir of Isildur but unlike him he did not hold the weakness of his forefathers before him.  
  
The elf Prince of Mirkwood, now re-named to Greenwood Great, smiled softly at a thought that has surfaced in his mind, though this smile conflicted with the grieving tears that slithered their way down his fair face.  
  
"I remember…the day we first met each other." Legolas spoke quietly to the unmoving body of the great king. "You were young, inexperienced and stubborn, though I had yet to learn just how stubborn the heir of Isildur could be."  
  
  
*  
What was it about the stars  
That you always seemed to fear  
Perhaps knowing one day  
I would be up there somewhere  
In a place you could not follow  
Can you hear, can you hear  
The wind calling my name  
Let me go now, set me free  
*  
  
  
Those who saw the elf now and did not know him might think him gone mad, seemingly talking to himself and recounting old memories, but in truth Legolas was saying his last and final goodbye to his most cherished friend he had ever known.  
  
For none had known Aragorn as much as Legolas had known him, not even his foster family had known all the secrets the human had kept locked away within himself and only told his elven friend.  
  
It was a goodbye Legolas had been fearing and dreading ever since he became a friend to Aragorn. But that fear had been pushed aside as time passed and the elf got to know the human better. Who would've guessed they could've become such friends?  
  
"I had always been warned about becoming friends with mortal beings, but my friendship with you was something so unique, so special, it was more than I could ever ask for and there is never a moment I do not treasure it."  
  
A pearl of silver water slid just under the elf's chin and fell like a tiny raindrop on to the limp hand of the king of Gondor and Anor and eternal friend to the elf prince.  
  
  
*  
My time has come  
But goodbye is the hardest  
Lesson to learn  
Don't cry, don't cry  
When the clouds of winter gather  
The first snowflake that falls  
Will be the one that reminds you of me  
And the first star that shines tonight  
Will be the one that lives in your heart  
*  
  
  
The sun was starting to become lower in the sky, starting it's descent below the horizon.  
  
Legolas was tired, weary and weighed down with bitter grief, but he could not rest for his heart and soul was not are rest, or peace, and they hadn't been since he had learned that King Elessar was dying.  
  
"Through our lives Strider, we've had our own shares of troubles and dangers, but we've also shared together troubles and dangers too and I remember each of them and I cherish them, for they have helped make our friendship stronger."  
  
Legolas brushed a hand across Aragorn's pale face. The King looked as though he were merely sleeping and Legolas wished more than anything that that were true, that he was just sleeping and at any moment he would open his eyes and smile at him.  
  
But this last wish couldn't be saved.  
  
  
*  
No regrets, only endless cherished memories  
Open your hands, let me learn to fly  
Forever more we are one  
I don't need to tell you  
You are the brother of my heart  
Can you hear, can you hear  
The wind calling my name  
Let me go now, set me free  
*  
  
  
*Flashback*  
  
Aragorn, Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir sat on the bank of the Bruinen, for once in silence, each lost in their own thoughts  
  
Elrohir sat on one of the large rocks near the bank, occasionally tossing some stones into the water and watching the ripples spread across the glistening water's surface. Aragorn sat beside Elladan, who lay on the grassy bank dozing with his head turned to the sky. Legolas sat on one of the lower branches of a tree just behind Aragorn and Elladan, his hand resting behind his head.  
  
The warm summer sun shone down on them and it was days like this that the brothers and the elf prince liked nothing better than to sit by the river side, watching the day go by and idling in conversation.  
  
As Elrohir let out a small sigh from his place on the rock, Elladan turned his head to the side so he saw his human brother. He watched as a frown formed on Aragorn's face.  
  
"What troubles you Estel?"  
  
Aragorn was caught a little unaware, thinking that his brother beside him was sleeping, but he didn't show it.  
  
"I was just thinking."  
  
"About what?" Elrohir asked, looked behind his shoulder at his human brother.  
  
Aragorn shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"About what you are all going to do after…" He sighed a little. "After I am gone."  
  
Elladan blinked in surprise and sat upright, noticing out of the corner of his eyes that Elrohir was now turned completely around.  
  
"What do you mean Estel?" Elladan asked.  
  
"Well…after I have completed my circle in this world, what will you do? As I am bound to mortality and you are not, what will you do?"  
  
Elladan glanced at Elrohir who was looking back at him. Legolas was still sitting on the tree branch, but kept himself hidden in the shade of the leaves.  
  
Legolas hadn't thought about what he would do after Aragorn died, nor had Elladan or Elrohir. They despised thinking about it, for it reminded them of the key difference between them and the human; they were immortal and they would out live Aragorn and another other mortal upon Middle Earth.  
  
"I…I do not know Estel." Elladan replied truthfully. "I had have not thought about it."  
  
"I doubt any of us has." Elrohir added, his frown turning to a small smile. "I believe we will decide when that time comes."  
  
"Which will not be for a very long time." Elladan said in a firm but cheery voice, attempting to stave off anymore discussion about it.  
  
Legolas remained silent. His heart pounded and a knot tightened his throat at the thought that one day, he would have to say goodbye to Aragorn and never more would he see the human again.  
  
*End flashback*  
  
  
*  
My time has come  
But goodbye is the hardest  
Lesson to learn  
Don't cry, don't cry  
When the clouds of winter gather  
The first snowflake that falls  
Will be the one that reminds you of me  
And the first star that shines tonight  
Will be the one that lives in your heart  
*  
  
  
Legolas blinked hard as more tears formed in his eyes and ran down his cheeks.  
  
"I didn't want to think about saying goodbye to you then and I do not want to now Aragorn." Legolas said quietly, one of his hands running through the now silver hair of the man where once there was stunning black. "But I must, for you are now gone my friend, to a place where I cannot follow."  
  
Another sharp pierce of pain stabbed through Legolas' heart as he leaned forward, his forehead touching Aragorn's.  
  
Not only was the man's skin pale, but also cold to the touch and that in itself was the final sign.  
  
Aragorn was really dead.  
  
Legolas didn't want to believe it, he never had, but his friend was really gone and the thought that he had had the chance to see his dear friend one last time before he died didn't comfort him.  
  
  
*  
I am the air that you breathe  
I am the wind that circles the world  
I am the eagle that soars the starry skies  
Whenever you need me  
I shall be there my friend  
Can you hear, can you hear  
The wind calling my name  
Let me go now, set me free  
*  
  
  
"I always knew this day would come Aragorn, but I have dared not think about it." Legolas whispered. "I do not want to say goodbye to you, because I do not know how."  
  
He breathed two heavy, shaky breaths before continuing.  
  
"You always said that even though, someday you would pass from this world, a part of you would still be with me. Why can I not feel it my friend? Why do I feel this horrible pain within my heart and cannot find you?"  
  
For a moment he turned away, his air caught tightly in his throat and breathing was becoming more difficult. When he did turn back, he had managed to calm himself a little.  
  
"You are gone Aragorn, but I am not ready for you to leave. I still need you my friend and I still need the comfort of our friendship, but all I feel now is the pain of your passing. I do not want to say goodbye, nor do I want to let you go, because you are my friend."  
  
  
*  
My time has come  
But goodbye is the hardest  
Lesson to learn  
Don't cry, don't cry  
When the clouds of winter gather  
The first snowflake that falls  
Will be the one that reminds you of me  
And the first star that shines tonight  
Will be the one that lives in your heart  
*  
  
  
Legolas shook his head for a moment.  
  
"I am sorry my friend. I have talked about what I want without thinking of what you want." He smiled a little. "I know you would not want me to grieve for you and I know you would want me to carry on and remember all the cherished memories we made together, but it is so hard. I have come to realise that you have helped me to become who I am. Now that you have passed I feel as though part of me is gone with you."  
  
He sat silent for a moment, his fingers unconsciously entwining around those of Aragorn's.  
  
"A long time ago you thought about what Elladan, Elrohir and I would do after you died. I do not know of Elladan and Elrohir, but I my friend will build a ship and sail across the sea to the Grey Havens and perhaps Gimli will come with me."  
  
Legolas chortled slightly at the thought of a dwarf in the Grey Havens but finally the little mirth died away and his face curled into sorrow once more.  
  
Taking a few more ragged breaths he stood up, his fingers still clinging to Aragorn's. He didn't want to let go, but he knew he had to and it was the hardest thing he had ever done and ever would do.  
  
Barely finding his voice to speak, he whispered, "Namàrië Aragorn, nin mellon."  
  
And finally, as if in an eternity itself, Legolas pulled away and allowed his fingers to slip from Aragorn's; the last time he would see the human and the last time he would touch him.  
  
  
*  
The first snowflake that falls  
Will be the one that reminds you of me  
And the first star that shines tonight  
Will be the one that lives in your heart  
*  
  
  
Legolas stood outside of the House of the Kings and breathed heavily, his breath visible in the bitterly cold air.  
  
Misty grey clouds had gathered overhead and blocked out the sun so the whole of Gondor seemed to be covered in a haze of foggy cover.  
  
Legolas lifted his head and looked up into the grey sky, not looking at any particular thing. The clouds appeared to symbolise the horrid aching in his heart and neither would leave any time soon.  
  
It was then that Legolas' sharp eyes, though misted with tears, saw something.  
  
Something small, something white, floating down towards him with a delicate grace that anyone could recognise and know what it was.  
  
Legolas held out his hands and the little thing landed softly in the palm of the elf's hands. Legolas stared down at it in wonder.  
  
A snowflake.  
  
A single, beautiful little white snowflake.  
  
It seemed to shine and sparkle in Legolas' hands, though no light fell upon it…or was there?  
  
Legolas once more looked up towards the clouds, only this time they seemed to be thinner than before, as though they acted like a veil, hiding something precious from the eyes below.  
  
Legolas looked at the little snowflake again before staring up at the sky. This time his eyes seemed to see through the cloudy veil and up into the now darkened sky and there, shinning as brightly and dazzling as a diamond was a single star.  
  
The other stars were shimmering, but this one star was so brilliant that it appeared to hide all other stars from sight.  
  
The perception of this star made the elf's own heart shine as brightly as it and a heavy weight began to lift and as the shadow of death, grief and loss began to dissipate.  
  
The star then seemed to shine extra bright, only for a second, as if it was…winking at the elf below.  
  
A smile then crept across Legolas' face, for now he knew what the star…or rather whom the star was and realised that the very same star was already living within his own heart.  
  
"Namàrië Aragorn, nin mellon. May you find your peace, as I have found mine."  
  
  
*  
The first snowflake that falls  
I will live in your heart  
The first star that shines tonight  
Over the sea where home calls our names  
Let me go now, let me learn to fly  
* 


End file.
